The Way I See It
by Diamond Gryphon
Summary: After disappearing for 15 years, Danny comes back without aging a day and with no memory. Can he stop the newest ghost invasion and still learn how to function in human society? SEQUEL POSTED!
1. Chapter 1

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 11/ 21/ 06

The chapter is divided into 3 different points of view. Each point of view may occur before, after, or even during the previous one. I'll tell you who they are in the next chapter if you can't guess.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: IT ALL STARTED**

* * *

** 1 **

The way I see it, it all started 15 years ago.

That was when he said goodbye.

He didn't give me a reason. He just said, "Goodbye, I have to leave. I won't be coming back." He didn't do it for me, or himself, or anyone else. He did it because he needed to.

He left. He left, and he never came back.

The town was in a crisis. After haunting the town for almost a year, InvisoBill was gone, and they finally realized how much they needed him. They didn't consider him a hero, but he had claimed Amity Park as his territory and drove other ghosts out, or so the story goes.

A week before he left, Danny disappeared.

There was no note, no warning. His room was untouched. He didn't struggle, didn't pack. He was gone.

His parents drowned their grief in their work. They created new inventions and new weapons. The family photos faded, his name was avoided, and in time he was forgotten.

Ghosts invaded. No one special, just Skulker or Ember, but InvisoBill wasn't there. The Fentons were turned to. They sold their knowledge and gear; they grew rich.

That should have been the end of it, but it was only the beginning. 15 years later, I taught at Casper High. I loved it; all my life I had enjoyed working with kids and I was living my dream. I was so busy I could forget about Danny.

That worked for the most part, until a student came in to ask for ghost advice. She thought she was being haunted.

"I only caught a glimpse of him." She told me. "And all I saw of him was a pair of glowing, green eyes staring back at me."

* * *

** 2 **

The way I see it, it all started on my birthday, two months ago.

That was when I saw him.

Maybe I'm just paranoid. He might just be my imagination.

On my birthday, I got a book on ghosts. Not a cut bump-in-the-night kind, a scientific-case-study book on ghosts.

Lovely gift for a 15 year-old who wanted absolutely nothing to do with things that couldn't be explained. Note the sarcasm.

I went downstairs to our basement, my refuge. That was the only time I saw him. I was in so much shock that all I remember seeing before he winked out of existence was his eyes.

They were a vibrant, glowing green.

I believed in ghosts, I had seen ghosts. How could someone not if they lived in Amity Park? I didn't like acknowledging them though. I pretended they didn't exist.

I decided to shrug off the first encounter. I had just finished having an argument with my parents over ghosts. I'm sure I was just paranoid.

I kept hearing noises when I was in my basement; bumps, mumbles, things moved without anyone touching them. He stayed invisible, he never spoke, never bothered me.

It nearly drove me insane.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he had confronted me or attacked me. Then I could have called the ghost hunters and they would have beaten him up and captured him. But he never did anything. He was just **_there_**.

When registration came around for 10th grade, I looked forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I loathe school. But one of the teachers at Casper High was a Fenton, and that was just who I needed to see.

Don't ask me why the sole heir to a billion dollar company was working as a psychology teacher. I don't know and I don't care, but I was sure that Ms. Fenton would know what to do.

I didn't take psychology, didn't feel a need to. But if she was there to talk to students, I could ask her for advice.

Casper High was one of the older high schools in the district and was even more beat up after the many ghost attacks it had endured over the past decade or so. The white on the outside of the building had faded to a dull grey over the years. The only thing that stayed the same was the perpetual brown of the lawn. My parents had wanted me to go to one of the newer schools, like Concord, but I had firmly stated that I wouldn't go. The beat-up look of the high school contrasted nicely with the pristine grandeur at my house.

After talking to all my teachers, I made my way to Mrs. Fenton's room. Room 121 was run down and homely. She was talking to some parents so I waited patiently for her to finish.

While I was waiting I looked her over. She had long red hair; she wore a huge smile and a caring personality. Usually people like that made me retch.

After she was done, I went up to her. I told her I needed ghost advice. She didn't seem to like that but at least she didn't tell me to get lost.

I just told her the facts; I had only seen him once, I heard strange things and objects moved on their own. He didn't seem to be evil, just annoying.

She looked like she was bored and would just give me the phone number of some competent ghost hunter, until she heard my description of the spook.

"Green eyes?" She seemed immediately fascinated.

"Bright, green eyes." I assured her.

"I'll be at your house at seven." She looked like all her dreams had come true at once. Her happiness was sickening, but at least my ghost problems would be over.

She was punctual to a fault. It was almost scary. She didn't bring much, just a backpack filled with a few older and weaker weapons. I thought that was odd but I didn't comment.

She had a grim look on her face. It was night and day difference from when we last met. She was all business; she didn't even stare as she passed through the large mansion to get to the basement, where my grandmother was bowling.

Then again, her house was probably bigger.

She pulled out an old Ghost Tracker. The blinking readout showed that there was definitely a ghost in the corner of the room.

She walked over to the corner and looked up from the device expectantly.

* * *

** 3 **

The way I see it, it all started when the girl I was haunting brought in a ghost hunter.

I didn't know she was a ghost hunter at first.

I had never seen her before. And when she walked into the basement with the goth, I just assumed she was a friend, or a relative.

Then she pulled out a device that turned out to be some sort of ghost radar. It found me.

She walked over to the corner I was floating in and looked up.

"Hello?"

I didn't respond.

"Hey, I know you're there. My name is Jazz."

I hoped she would just leave me alone.

"Why are you haunting this room?"

Like I would tell her.

"Look, if you don't work with me then it will be harder for both of us."

I knew that, and I didn't care.

"Alright then, have it your way." She reached into a backpack and dug around. 'Jazz' pulled out what looked like a high-tech toy. She looked at it and sighed as if the thing had disappointed her.

Then it started beeping.

The ghost hunter looked suddenly happy and threw it . . . away from me?

The strange object continued beeping as it curved back around and headed strait for me. I didn't expect it so there was no time to turn intangible.

"Ow!"

There wasn't a large amount of pain, no electric shock. It just hit me. I accidentally became visible.

The hunter immediately grinned before pulling a Thermos out of her backpack.

"Come on, it's time you went home." Her overly happy voice was the last thing I heard before I was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! 

-Gryph


	2. Chapter 2

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 11/28/06

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

The middle point of view occurs well after the other two. Just take that in stide and ignore the skip, by the next chapter, everyone will catch up to each other.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: I DON'T KNOW WHY**

* * *

**Jazz  
**

I don't know why I bothered to bring the Booomerang. Sighing, I pulled it out of my backpack anyway, just letting it sit in my hand.

It wasn't him. If it had been him, he would have said something, or he would have responded to my name.

Then it started beeping.

Then again, I've been wrong before. And I was never so happy to be proven wrong. I turned around and threw the Booomerang toward the center of the room, just to see if it was a fluke.

I was overjoyed when it turned around and hit the invisible ghost.

"Ow!"

There was no doubt about it, it was him! I knew that voice anywhere! Then he appeared, the same as he was 15 years ago.

I couldn't contain my smile any longer, I broke into a wide grin and barely contained a piroette before grabbing the Thermos. I had to at least look like I was getting rid of him. I hope he understood.

"Come on, it's time you went home." I sucked him into the Thermos and capped the lid with a flourish.

I wanted to run home immediately and let him out. Talk to him, ask him what had happened, why he had to leave, why he hadn't come back. After 15 years it was so good to finally see him again. But I had to act normal, I was still on the job.

I turned to the girl. "Is that all you needed?"

She nodded, and then looked concerned. "You're not going to hurt him are you?"

I laughed. If only she knew. "No. It's just catch and release. He'll be fine."

She visibly relaxed.

Walking away, I stopped when I realized I had missed something in all the excitement. Turning back around, I addressed her again.

"I'm sorry, but I never caught your name."

"It's Sam. Sam Manson." She gave me a faint smile.

"Well, Sam," I gave her one of my broad grins. "Good luck at Casper High this year.

* * *

**Sam **

I don't know why I even bothered going to school, other than the fact that it's required by law. I was laying in bed, thinking about how much my life sucked, a usual activity for a goth.

It's not like I would need a job. My parents were rich. I was loaded.

I tried asking my parents that question once. They said that I should have fun with my friends.

If only they knew.

I didn't have any friends. Ever since the first day of school I had been sitting at my own lunch table. The preps all teased me for being a goth. Even if they knew I was rich they would probably still hate me.

"Well, Sam, good luck at Casper High this year."

Her voice played through me head as I tried to get to sleep. 'Good luck', I'll need it.

I don't know what it was about me, but as soon as I entered Casper, I became a loser magnet.

Now I'm fine with social outcasts or unpopular kids. When I say losers, I mean people who don't seem to have lives.

Most of the losers left after I threatened them. All I had to do was scowl and talk about how much experience I've had with giving people black eyes. It's not a bluff, at least, most of it isn't.

One of the losers I can't seem to get rid of. He was a carnivore (Gross!) and a desperate techno-geek. And I mean desperate. He asked out every single girl he saw.

He seemed to particularly like asking me. Maybe he thought he stood a chance since we were both outcasts. Needless to say, I tried my hardest to avoid him.

"Hi! My name's Tucker. Tucker Foley. That's TF as in Too Fine!"

Avoiding him didn't seem to work. He followed me everywhere, blabbering about anything and everything.

" . . . You know, there's a dance next weekend and I was wondering . . ."

"No." I cut him off. "I'm not going to the dance."

That shut him up for the rest of the period.

* * *

**Danny **

I don't know why she let me out of the Thermos. She waited for a while, I think. I have no sense of time, but I'm pretty sure an hour or two had passed. I now found myself in a large room, what appeared to be a library or an office. It was very nice, graced with a thick carpet and furnished with luxurious armchairs. There were rows upon rows of bookcases, all stuffed with books which overflowed onto the many coffee tables. The ghost hunter that had captured me was standing across from me in the largest open space in the room.

The ghost hunter stared at me lovingly. That confused the heck out of me. She hunted ghosts, I am a ghost. So why was she setting me free? And smiling?

"Why are you letting me go?"

Whatever she was expecting it hadn't been that. The smile left her face. For the first time, I was scared. Should I run away?

"Danny?" She looked worried. "Is something wrong?"

She knew my name. How did she know my name? Did she know me when I was alive? I had spent the last two months wondering who I was, could she answer my questions?

"Who are you?" I didn't let the panic and hope reach my voice. "How do you know my name?"

She placed her head in her hands before sinking into one of the nearby armchairs. The ghost hunter seemed to have an internal struggle for a few minutes before she raised her face to stare me in the eyes. She was angry. She was crying.

"Danny, why are you doing this to me?" She sobbed. "Why did you leave?"

I stood there gaping at her. I left her? I didn't remember that. I was hurting her feelings, in a weird detached way I realized that.

"I'm sorry." I averted my eyes and glanced at the floor. "I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry." I did feel sorry, but the emotion was distant. I was dead; emotions didn't come easy to me.

"You don't remember anything do you?" She had stopped crying for the moment and was staring at me hopelessly.

I took a deep breath. I didn't need to breathe, but taking a breath before saying something was a habit I think I had picked up when I was alive.

"I remember waking up two months ago." I chose my words carefully in hopes of keeping the ghost hunter calm. "And I decided to haunt that girl's house. I remember that my name is Danny. That's all."

"Her name is Sam." The woman said automatically.

"Sam." I tested out the word before nodding approvingly. "That's a good name."

She sighed again, getting out of the chair; she bushed herself off briskly before going over me with a critical eye.

"Well then, I guess we have a lot of work to do." Her smile returned, but it was shaky this time. "My name is Jasmine Fenton, but you can call me Jazz." I nodded. She had mentioned her name earlier. She hesitated before continuing. "I was, **_am_**, your sister."

"Oh." That surprised me, again in a detached way. Emotions confused me. I don't think ghosts can feel emotions very well. Also, as far as I was concerned, I had only existed for two months and didn't have much experience. "I guess that makes me Danny Fenton." Jazz smiled and nodded approvingly.

"The only problem is you're considered dead." I blinked. Wasn't I dead? "You're going to have to get a different last name if you want to go to school."

"Why would I go to school?" My head was spinning from all the information I had just received. The weird hints she was dropping about me not being dead were not helping my confusion level. "I'm dead. No one cares."

She grinned broadly and shook her head. "Danny, Danny, Danny." She chided, "You have a lot to learn."

* * *

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appriciate it! I would also like to thank my proofreader, my sister, and my friends who encouraged me to write this even though they haven't been reading it. 

I update each Tuesday, earlier if I get reviews.

-Gryph


	3. Chapter 3

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 12/4/06

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

Ooops. The sections don't catch up to each other until next chapter, my bad. As usual, Sam's pov takes place after the other two.

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: WELL, THIS IS A NEW EXPERIENCE  
**

* * *

**Jazz  
**

Well, this is a new experience. I have to teach my own brother to function in human society again. He didn't know who he was, or what he was. How do you explain to someone that they didn't actually die?

In the end, I just decided to show him, and then explain everything. I just hoped that nothing was really wrong with his transformation.

After an hour of searching, I finally found an old photo of him with his friends. His friends never knew about his powers, they were not very close.

"Here." I shoved the picture in his face. "Do you see the black-haired boy? That's what you used to look like."

Danny stared at the photograph and then glanced back up at me with a look that said, 'Ok, whatever, do you have a point?'

I sighed. Maybe this would be harder than I thought.

"Danny, you can turn back into that." Naturally, he was shocked by this and momentarily blinked out of sight in surprise before reappearing. "All you need to do is focus on changing back."

I could tell that he didn't believe me but he closed his eyes just to humor me. He contorted his face in concentration for a minute before blue rings appeared.

He could still change back! I was so happy I started crying again. He hadn't changed a bit. He still was wearing his usual outfit, was still a clumsy 15 year old. Danny was finally back!

But he couldn't go back to school like that. He needed a new outfit, a new last name, I would have to fill out paperwork . . . All the many jobs I had to do flashed through my head and I grinned. I had a new project to work on!

"Come on, Cinderella! Lets get you ready for the ball!"

* * *

**Sam **

Well, this is a new experience. Not.

Remember that dance that I wasn't going to? I hadn't counted on my parents.

At least I had managed to worm my way out of the bright pink Cinderella dress. I decided to wear a long-sleeved lavender shirt with a long, black, layered skirt. It was a come-as-you-are dance, so I didn't have to dress up, but if I didn't at least wear a skirt, my parents would have chosen the outfit.

I spent the rest of the week avoiding anyone that tried to talk to me about the dance. That was harder than I thought.

Tucker wasn't helping. Why did all the looser guys have to ask me? I wouldn't mind if, say, a cute, intelligent, individual person asked me out . . .

I have to get those images of that ghost out of my head! Sure he was muscular, had a very unique outfit, and his face . . . Actually, I couldn't remember his face. His eyes were bright green, but that was it, I couldn't even remember the color of his hair!

But he was a ghost, and Sam Manson didn't deal with ghosts. He was gone anyway. I should push him, and every other boy, out of my mind. Hard to do when they were asking me to the dance every ten minutes.

At least there were a few boys that were not girl crazy, like Josh, the smart kid, or Danny . . .

* * *

**Danny**

Well, this is a new experience. I've never felt what it is like to be alive, or at least I didn't remember.

The first thing I noticed was gravity. Ghosts usually ignore it or use it as an indication of which way is down. Now it hit me and I immediately collapsed.

The second thing was the fact that I could feel things going on in my body. I felt a pulsing coming from my chest, the soft feel of the plush carpet beneath my hand, then came pain.

My fall to the floor had bruised my knee. Then I felt the pain in my chest. It took me a while to realize I had to breathe. I needed to learn how to do that. Lastly, came a gnawing pain in my gut. It rumbled.

"You're hungry." Jazz was smiling with tears in her eyes. "Let's go downstairs and have diner." She turned around to go out the door.

"Wait." She paused and looked at me. I was staring at my hands, still trying to take the entire situation in. "What am I?"

"You're a hybrid." Jazz frowned slightly. "Half ghost, half human."

"How . . ?"

"Lab accident." She brushed the question away quickly. "You got shocked by the Fenton Portal." Okay, mental note to ask what that was later. "Now, what do you want for dinner?" I noticed how quickly she changed the subject and let it drop.

The next week flew by in a flurry of learning and activity. Alibis had to be made, forms had to be filled, and shopping had to be done.

Officially, I was Danny Taylor. I was Jazz's cousin on her father's side and was staying with her because my parents were on an extended business trip to Australia. This year I would be attending Casper High as a sophomore.

The shopping was the worst part. Since the Fenton's were rich, there was no limit to what Jazz could buy. I had to outfit my room, buy a wardrobe, and get school supplies. In addition to that, Jazz thought I needed enough books to stock a small library, Space and NASA memorabilia (which she assured me I liked), and some video games that were 'all the rage.'

Jazz also insisted that I learn to avoid being seen with her in public places, and that I entered the house through the one she owned next door. She explained that people would treat me differently if they knew I was rich or if I was related to her. I didn't quite understand why, but I did what she told me.

And that was just the first week. The week before school started, Jazz had to make sure I knew everything I was supposed to learn from the past nine years of school. The review was hard work, and Jazz was a hard taskmaster, but at least I seemed to remember what I had learned, even if I couldn't remember learning it.

By the time the first day of school rolled around, I was already sick of it.

The good news was that I had been so used to being invisible when I haunted Sam, that I had no trouble hiding away in the back of the classroom and not get noticed. I was considered the shy kid, an average student. In reality I did pretty well, since Jazz made sure I studied. Most teachers didn't know who I was; I wasn't a troublemaker, or an excellent student. Other kids didn't pressure me because they knew I was clumsy and didn't talk much; even the bullies didn't pick on me.

I didn't stop learning after the school bell rang, however. Jazz decided I needed to relearn how to use my ghost powers and I regularly spent hours in a large training room in the basement that her, **_our_**, parents put in to develop her ghost-fighting skills.

Jazz also taught me about my powers, my enemies, my old alias (Inviso-Bill), and all the weapons that could be used to fight ghosts, specifically the Fenton Thermos, which I had to carry everywhere.

Amity Park didn't actually need my protection anymore. There were several professional ghost hunters, including someone I used to know named Valerie, who could take care of most ghosts. Because of this, I didn't actually have to fight. No one knew that Inviso-Bill****was back, and most people had forgotten what I looked like. When the town_**did**_need me, I could safely fight ghosts as 'Phantom.'

I was dreading my first fight with a ghost. I had been training, and learning. I had never actually shown my face in ghost form and had never had to step in to help get rid of a ghost. I was glad, seeing as I didn't seem to have Jazz's confidence in my abilities.

Another thing I was dreading was the dance. Jazz had insisted that I go, with or without a date. Luckily, that meant that I could just go and watch people for an hour or two and then leave.

* * *

Okay, when I first started writing the chapters, each section in the chapter had a sentence in common with the other sections. I was going to use the Cinderella sentence for this chapter since it would work beautifully for Sam's problems. That is the only way I can explain that random comment by Jazz.

I update every Tuesday, deal with it.

Oh, by the way, I have several angsty one-shots. Anyone want to see them posted? Warning: they are the products of a morbid mind!

-Gryph


	4. Chapter 4

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE TYPED: 12/12/06

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Cliff's Notes.

I'm sorry for the confusion. I posted this by accident yesterday then I deleted it.

The parts are all in order and they will try to stay that way for a while. The only thing that can be a bit confusing is the slight overlap between Sam and Danny.

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: THE FIRST THING I NOTICED**

* * *

**Jazz**

The first thing I noticed was that as much as Danny looked the same, he was not the boy I used to know.

It's a fact that our past experiences shape who we are. Danny didn't have the same experiences as he did last time I saw him. He didn't respond the same way he used to, he didn't act the same way either.

His personality was more subdued, quieter. He was always calm and it was hard to push him to show emotions. He rarely smiled; and it took a long time to get him angry.

Danny used to be funny and easygoing; he would have had many friends if the popular crowd hadn't labeled him as an outcast after he ran into Dash Baxter on the first day of school. Now he seemed to have no friends at all.

When I asked him about it, he didn't seem to care.

The more I saw, the more I had to admit it. Danny acted like a ghost. Not noticeably, no one would ever guess his secret, but it was undeniable.

He wandered around like a lost soul. He avoided interaction with other humans. If he actually focused on something long enough he did really well, but his behavior was almost obsessive.

It worried me.

Danny was human; he needed to act that way. The only ways I knew how to get him to learn human behavior was through observation or study.

He outright refused to study psychology.

I was thrilled that for once he had an opinion, but frustrated that it had to be against my field of study. If he wasn't going to study, that left observation.

That was why I forced Danny to go to the dance.

* * *

**Sam**

The first thing I noticed was that the popular kids were all in the center of the room. I made a mental note to stick to the walls.

Next, I scouted out the refreshment table and grabbed a glass of punch before heading off to a corner of the gym that I had chosen in PE the day before. To my surprise, someone was already there.

It was that awkward, shy kid who sat in the back of the class (What was his name? Oh yeah), Danny. He was wearing his normal clothes, a large, black sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans with black sneakers. He seemed to be watching the popular group with a bored expression that indicated that his mind was elsewhere.

Why would he come to a dance? He didn't seem to like being around people, I didn't know of anyone who would call themselves his friend. There was no one close enough to where he was standing to be his date.

I thought about it for a minute before walking over to him. He was a unique individual, and that meant he might be interesting conversation.

I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He was so startled that he nearly spilled his punch by jumping around to face me. I had to suppress a snicker. I had forgotten how clumsy he could be.

"Hey." I started, once he was calm again. "Mind if I hide back here with you?"

He merely shrugged his shoulders before finding something else to stare at with his continually bored expression.

"So, why did you decide to go to the dance?" I tried starting up a conversation since his oblivious attitude was annoying me. Seriously, goths don't usually show much emotion but compared to him, I was sentimental.

"My guardian forced me to come." He stated simply, not bothering to look in my direction.

"Same here." I might as well be talking to a wall, for all the response I got out of him. I don't know why I even bothered trying. "My parents thought that it would be a good opportunity to hang out with my friends." That got a reaction out of him.

"Friends?" He turned to me, blinking his eyes in confusion. "Don't you just have Tucker following you around all the time?"

"They don't know that." I was startled that **_he_** knew that. Most people generally ignored us, or taunted us as being love birds. Even if anyone did notice that we didn't love each other, they didn't see how one-sided the friendship was. Danny must be a lot more observant that his laid-back nature gave him credit for.

I stood there a moment contemplating this new information before he broke the silence.

"My guardian thought it would be good for me to interact with other people my age." The fact that he was offering information voluntarily caught me off guard. "I'm not used to the company of others."

"Why not?" It was true that I had never seen him before, but I had just thought that he transferred from another school.

* * *

**Danny**

The first thing I noticed when she talked to me was that my heart started beating faster. After that came the warm squirming in my gut. Then my face began to heat up.

Luckily I had enough control over this strange emotion that it didn't show.

I answered her questions idly while wondering why on Earth she would talk to me. She didn't seem to have any friends. The only person who I had seen at her house, other than Jazz, was her grandmother. She dressed in dark clothes, a goth, maybe she saw my mostly black outfit as a sign of kindred spirit. I made a mental note to wear white on Monday and see if she ignored me.

I found Sam's company oddly comforting. Jazz was the only other one I felt that around. I soon found myself talking about random things. I let slip that I hadn't been around people much, she asked why and I spouted off my cover story that Jazz had made me memorize in great detail. Needless to say, I gave her the Cliff's Notes.

"My parents are archeologists and are always out of the country. Usually I stay with my grandfather, who home schooled me, but he is getting too old to have me running around the house." I shrugged. "Now I live with my cousin."

We settled into comfortable silence as we watched a jock trip and spill punch over his date. Sam burst out laughing as the girl slapped him and stormed off.

She looked over at me in confusion when I didn't even crack a smile. Sam sighed and brushed off her skirt in a businesslike fashion.

"Well, you do need help." Her voice was cheerful, which surprised me. "I don't know if I'm the best person to for this, but I'll help you if I can."

"Huh?"

"You can hang out with me." She shrugged. "I may not be an expert on high school, but at least we could learn together."

"Oh." I found it weird that someone would take enough interest in me to talk to me, let alone help me. "I'd like that."

"Good." She gave a definite nod before offering her hand. "Friends?"

"Friends."

* * *

Ok, let's put all these questions to bed once and for all.

Yes, this is a slight AU. I have split the characters from the show into two categories. 1) They are the same age as in the show as of 15 years ago. 2) They are the same age as in the show as of now. Here is how the characters are split so far:  
1)Jazz, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Dash, and Valerie  
2)Sam, Tucker, and Paulina(you'll learn this later)  
That means Valerie is somewhere around 30 years old while Tucker is still 15. His old friends were not named Sam and Tucker, and you can call them Thing1 and Thing2 for all the difference it makes (This is a cut and paste of the reply I gave to Tornada Silverwind).

I decided not to post the one-shots until I am done with some other fun stories that I have been working on.

This is my sister's favorite chapter, mine is chapter 6. Mush vs Action. How on earth are we related? (Sister's Note: Hey, she wrote the mush, so it must be somewhere in the gene pool.)

Updates every Tuesday, expect extra updates for the Christmas season however!

-Gryph


	5. Chapter 5

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 12/19/06

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: THE WORDS OF A TEENAGER  
**

* * *

**Jazz**

The words of a teenager are often ignored. I find that the greatest waste in our society. Teenagers can have as much wisdom, if not more, than most adults. It is also a good window into their mind.

Because his words were about the only way to tell what he was feeling, I made Danny talk for at least a half an hour every day after school.

At first he just discussed his assignments and how hard his curriculum was, but after a week or two, his tongue started loosening up and he started talking about other people at school, and sometimes himself.

It was during one of these sessions that I learned that he was now friends with Ms. Manson, whom he had been haunting. She had been followed by a kid named Tucker Foley, whom Danny had gotten along well with. He only mentioned his new friends briefly so I asked how he felt about them. He shrugged.

"Tucker is mostly addicted to technology, but he's funny and pretty smart. Sam is independent and original. She is very opinionated and always speaks her mind." Danny paused, frowning, before continuing on. "It's weird, the first time I met her as a human, my heart started pounding and I felt all squeamish inside."

That piece of information caused my jaw to drop. Danny liked Sam! I was ecstatic, not because Danny was experiencing more emotions, but because I thought it was a good match. Sam was pretty, intelligent, kind . . .

"Jazz, do you have any idea what that feeling was?"

My happy thoughts were completely derailed as I remembered that Danny couldn't possibly even know that he liked her. How do you explain love? How do you explain it to a guy?

* * *

**Sam**

The words of a teenager are usually totally disregarded by adults, they don't care. So I don't really get why I am writing this at all. I'm not usually a journal sort of person, but right now my thoughts are so complicated I feel I have to write them down to sort myself out.

My personal thoughts are going to be written on these pages, so if your name is not Sam Manson, STOP READING NOW!

First, my parents are oblivious. They are so obsessed about getting me into high society that they treat me like a mannequin. All they needed me for was a model for the poofy pink dresses. Why can't they like me for **_who_** I am?

Sometimes I wish I wasn't so filthy rich. It's on paper so Desiree can't grant it. But seriously, the perk of money, other than the house, and the cool stuff, is popularity. I have tried, successfully, to keep the fact that I am rich from getting to the rumor mill. I hope I will be able to keep it from my friends, or at least the school.

That reminds me, school sucks too. The popular people are so shallow, not very individual. The nerds are too geeky, the homework's too hard. At least now I have my two friends to look forward to.

Yes, I said two. I now officially consider Tucker a friend, because as soon as Danny joined us, Tucker decided that we needed to get together and stopped hitting on me. Danny is completely oblivious to this, however.

I thought all boys thought about are girls! Usually the boys at our school just sit and drool over that idiot Latina, Paulina. Danny seemed to be the only exception.

Danny is what's really on my mind. His is smart, unique, and pretty cute . . . No! I have to stop thinking like that! Danny is so exasperating at times! Seriously, he acts like he is only a year old sometimes! Once, he asked why girls got so upset when boys said they looked 'fine.' How do you explain it to a guy?

Something else is stressing me out. There has been next to no ghost activity in Amity Park for almost a month. Residents know that only means one thing; the ghosts are planning something. It's only a matter of time, and everyone is on edge.

* * *

**Danny **

'The Words of a Teenager.' What a stupid name for a journal entry. What was Jazz thinking? At least she promised not to look at it. Now, how do I start?

I saw my parents for the first time. They didn't see me, however. Jazz said I needed to stay invisible, but in human form. They are really weird, but I feel attached to them somehow. I am really glad that they don't hunt ghosts anymore; they just stick to inventing. I would hate to be hunted by my own family.

It's kind of weird to think that I'm rich. I don't particularly care since the only thing I pay for is food and movies, but Jazz insists that as soon as anybody knows, I will be treated differently.

For example, she says everyone will want to talk to me at school. All the popular kids would pretend to be my friends. This scares me, since being around large groups make me nervous.

At least now I feel comfortable around my friends. We have been hanging out for a month, and I am just now starting to feel relaxed around them. After school, we usually go to the Nasty Burger or the park. Friday nights we celebrate the weekend by going out to the movies.

Tucker seems to spend most of the movie, however, watching the girls in the theater. I don't see what he thinks is so interesting about girls. Every time I ask Jazz she changes the subject.

The only girls I pay attention to are Jazz and Sam. Sam is so much fun to be around. I feel like I could talk to her about anything. I just wish Jazz would let me tell her about my ghost half.

Speaking of ghosts, Jazz is convinced that 'Phantom' is going to be needed soon. The ghosts are up to something, so Jazz is training me extra hard. She is now teaching me martial arts since my punches and kicks are awkward and ineffective. I don't want to fight, but I guess I have too. I can't tell Jazz. She says a hero's best weapon is motivation.

* * *

Sorry for this chapter, it's mainly filler. Except for the last paragraph, pay close attention to that. ; )

I looked over my outline for the story the other day and I realized that it was so full of plot holes, it looked like swiss cheese. I'm going to have to redo the entire plot of the story. That doesn't mean that I will redo Chapters 1-5, it means that the future chapters will be rewritten. As a result, please have patience with me.

There will be no bonus updates because of this, I will still update every Tuesday. Sorry.

-Gryph


	6. Chapter 6

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE TYPED: 12/26/06

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of blood. If you can't deal with that, or have never seen a movie rated PG-13, then skip Sam's pov and read Danny's. His part explains the same stuff as Sam's, without the blood.

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: WHAT SCARED ME WAS  
**

* * *

**Jazz**

What scared me was the lack of ghost activity. Out city is expert at getting rid of ghosts, but even it can't withstand a large attack.

Psychologically, it is wearing the citizens down. They are all worried over what everyone was calling 'the largest ghost invasion since Pariah.' One of the side effects of the nervousness is that everyone seems to hope for another Inviso-Bill. Even Valerie has said publicly that she would work with any ghost if they proved to be on our side.

I have half a mind to call her up and tell her that Inviso-Bill is back, or at least say that we have another ghost to help us.

The only thing that stops me is Danny's shy nature. He couldn't stand being the center of attention and would probably let something slip or run away.

'Phantom' is perfectly happy to save the city from the shadows. He doesn't want attention. He wants to help people, to protect the city.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm confusing Inviso-Bill with Phantom. After he came back, Danny hasn't shown much interest in fighting, or ghost hunting. In fact, I keep getting the feeling that Danny is enjoying life so much, that he would willingly just give up his ghost half. He used to love his ghost half! He thought it was the coolest thing to ever happen to him! Now he would rather be human. I'm not sure which one's better.

Part of me wants to leave the choice to Danny, to let him choose whether he wants to fight ghosts. But if he chooses not to, innocent people could get hurt.

Superheroes must put the needs of the people before their own. I can't force Danny to make that choice.

* * *

**Sam **

What scared me was the chill in the air. The plants seemed to be off color and the only light source was a faint luminescent blue. I shivered.

I was walking home from a movie that I had seen with Danny and Tucker. I insisted on walking home by myself since I didn't want them to learn I was rich.

The sun had gone down and I was passing through the oldest part of town. It was filled with old brick buildings from the last century. I usually walked slowly to take in the beauty of the place, but tonight I felt uneasy. My pace quickened and I kept my eyes on the sidewalk in front of me.

I was so on edge that the moment I heard footsteps behind me, I broke into a dead run. After a block, I grew tired and ducked into an alley to hide and catch my breath.

Unfortunately for me, whoever was following me was the least of my worries. I found myself staring at a dense fog. Two blood-red eyes stared back at me. Unable to move, I had no choice but to watch as the owner of the eyes glided toward me.

He wore a pair of patched pants that were partially obscured by the fog that constantly followed him. Over his head was a black executioner's hood that had two holes for his large pupil less eyes.

The ghost's chest was bare, leaving its strong muscles apparent. A long, bloody gash worked its way from his right shoulder to his left side. He carried a noose and a knife, both dripping with red liquid.

I stood, transfixed, as the specter silently glided over to me. Too terrified to move, I watched as he raised the noose gradually from his side.

Immediately, I felt an invisible noose around my neck. As he lifted his noose, I felt the one around my neck pulling me up. Slowly, it constricted and my scared mind was too shocked to react. I snapped out of my stupor as my feet started leaving the ground. I clawed at my neck desperately; I had no oxygen left to scream. Black started clouding my vision as the hangman raised his knife to finish me off.

"Leave her alone!"

The noose disappeared and I lay on the ground gasping, after something slammed into the knife-wielding ghost. I knelt down with my hands wrapped around my throat as the battle raged on. I could hear shouts and ectoblasts but had to wait until I could muster enough courage to look up.

It was him, that ghost at my house! He was the one that saved me! I tried not t o get too hopeful as the bigger ghost brought up his arm and put an invisible noose on my savior. He grabbed his neck with one hand while firing off an ectoblast into the hangman's face.

He was freed as the other ghost was shoved backward. The green-eyed ghost then used his opponent's momentary distraction to take a Fenton Thermos from a strap on his back and quickly suck the hangman inside.

He turned toward me and for the first time I got a good look at him. He was young, I realized. He probably died when he was no older than me. He wore a black-and-white jumpsuit with a weird D or P symbol on the chest. His hair was snow white and he had a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?"

I had been so fixated on his appearance that I didn't notice when he floated up to me. My throat hurt too much to answer so I just nodded. He didn't seem to believe me.

"I'm going to fly you home." I opened my mouth to protest but he gave me a glare. "You're hurt, and you can't call for help if you get into trouble."

He had such an air of determination and purpose that I didn't dare contradict him. My neck was going to have a large bruise and talking would hurt me for the next couple of days, I was in no condition to argue. Plus I was going into shock.

The ghost carefully picked me up bridal style before climbing into the sky. His hold was strong and I felt perfectly safe, but his skin was cool to the touch.

Flying was a weird experience; it was twice as weird since it was with a ghost. First of all, I noticed I was weightless. I couldn't feel the forces of lift or gravity. Second, I noticed that at the speed we were going, probably around 70 mph, there should have been a decent amount of wind resistance. Instead, all I felt was a pleasant breeze.

Gradually, I started to relax as the pain in my neck cooled somewhat. My shock subsided and rational thought decided to start working again. Why did I trust a ghost? He may have saved my life, but he could turn on me. As far as I knew, there had only been one good ghost in history; Inviso-Bill. I, personally, thought he was just a myth told to children. There were no known pictures of him. Plus, even if he had existed, he had been named Public Ghost Enemy #1! How could anyone think he was good after that? Even after Pariah?

To my immense relief, he didn't kidnap me, but instead placed me in front of my house. Wait, how did he know where I lived? Oh, that's right; he haunted it for two months.

"Thanks." My smile was slightly strained as I winced at the pain of talking. I decided to give the ghost the benefit of the doubt and assume he wasn't out to get me.

He nodded and turned to leave before I remembered something. I braced myself against the pain and called after him.

"Wait!" He turned around to look at me questioningly. "I don't know your name." He gave me a calculated look before replying.

"It's Phantom."

* * *

**Danny **

What scared me was Jazz's warnings of a coming ghost invasion. That was the reason that I left Tuck at his doorstep and ran after Sam. Even if she didn't want it, I felt it was my job to make sure she was safe.

After jogging for several blocks (my training really paid off) I caught sight of her turning the corner ahead of me. She was in a dead run. I was about to increase my pace to catch up to her when a chill went though my body and a blue mist exited my mouth. Stopping, I looked around to find the street deserted. I ducked behind a dumpster and turned into Phantom. I turned invisible and flew out from the hiding place. It wouldn't be good for someone to see a boy go behind a dumpster and a ghost come out.

I flew at breakneck speed in the direction that Sam had taken. Passing an alley, I did a double-take. Sam! She was being choked! Without thinking, I rammed into the mysterious ghost.

"Leave her alone!"

Anger overwhelmed me as I saw what the ghost had been holding. A knife! It had been about to kill her! All I saw was red as I attacked the silent apparition.

I kept up the assault until the hangman put a noose on me. Struggling, I manage to fire an ectoblast right in his face with my free hand. He let me go and I used the brief pause to whip out the Thermos and suck him inside.

I floated in place for a few minutes, stunned after my first fight. As the adrenaline drained out of me, I realized just how close to death Sam had come. She was still kneeling on the ground, staring up at me. I flew over to her.

"Are you okay?" She nodded, but rubbed her neck like it still caused her pain. Sam was going to have a large bruise there. I knew form my short choking how much it hurt and she didn't have my ability to heal quickly. It was one of my more useful powers since it would look suspicious if Danny Fenton showed up with a bruise on Monday.

"I'm going to fly you home." She looked about to protest but I quickly cut her off. "You're hurt, and you can't call for help if you get into trouble." I was worried about her and I didn't want to risk her getting attacked by another ghost.

I picked her up and headed toward her house at a decent pace. As I flew, I let the wind relax me and tried to forget how close it had been.

When we reached her house, I set her down gently by her door. She gave me a winning smile that would have put butterflies in my stomach if the situation had been any less serious.

"Thanks." I nodded in response. It must have hurt a lot to say it. It took all I had to stop myself from hugging Sam and reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.

But that was Fenton's job, not Phantom's. I could reassure her at school. With that happy thought, I turned and was about to leave when she called out.

"Wait!" I glanced back. What did she want? "I don't know your name." I weighed my options. Jazz didn't want news of me to get out, but I trusted Sam.

"It's Phantom." With that, I sped back towards my house.

The night's actions played over and over in my head as I flew. I kept seeing the look of absolute horror on my friend's face. Determined, I set my jaw and increased my speed. I never wanted to see that look on anyone's face again.

I had found my motivation.

* * *

This is my favorite chapter. The line about 'Comforting is Fenton's job' will come back to haunt me in Chapter 10 (which I just wrote about an hour ago).

I need advice. At a certain point, there is a good stopping spot in the story (meaning cliffhanger). After that point, I need to redo the POVs for the chapters, or at least edit out Jazz. Since this disrupts the story, I would like to post is as a separate sequel, but that would leave the story on a cliffhanger. Please give me feedback, last time I asked for it you all whimped out.

I will still post regularly even if I do a sequel. Every Tuesday morning when I get up.

Merry Chistmas

-Gryph


	7. Chapter 7

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 1/2/07

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**CHAPTER 7: ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT  
**

* * *

**Jazz**

All I could think about was the look in his eyes.

Danny was standing outside wearing a grim look and a tense posture. When I ushered him in, he moved with purpose toward the first aid kit in the kitchen before sitting down on the living room sofa and proceeded to clean the minor cuts and bruises that that were all over his body. He did this casually, as if nothing was wrong.

His eyes told me a different story. They showed that he was concerned, slightly scared of something but had the courage to face it.

I just sat down on the couch in front of him as he continued to check himself over. When he came to his neck I gasped. He had a large, dark bruise going all the way around his throat! Danny didn't even bat an eyelash at my sudden noise.

"So, which ghost was it?" I figured it had to be a ghost since his clothes weren't dirty. His costume as Phantom was probably shredded.

"I don't know." He didn't look up from his work and managed to keep his tone under control, but I noticed there were strong emotions under that. "He looked like an executioner and carried a noose and a knife. He didn't make a noise the entire time I fought him."

"Why did you fight him?" I had told him to avoid fighting ghosts unless it was absolutely necessary. Most ghosts just blew stuff up until a ghost hunter showed up, so he didn't need to get involved.

Danny seemed uncomfortable suddenly. He mumbled his response while looking at the floor.

"What was that?" When I finally heard the answer, I was stunned.

"He was about to kill Sam." He raised his eyes from his work to stare into mine. "He had her in a noose, was choking her, and had his knife poised to strike."

I couldn't say anything to that.

It seemed the invasion was happening. Except this time, the ghosts were prepared to kill.

* * *

**Sam **

All I could think about was Phantom. I barely noticed all the activity around me as my parents called for a doctor and started bombarding me with questions about what had happened. I told them, but my mind was elsewhere. I kept seeing those green eyes filled with concern.

I spent the rest of the night lying awake in my bed. My thoughts whirled at light speeds trying to rearrange my world. All my previous knowledge of ghosts, which I accepted as fact, had been shattered in one harsh blow.

Ghosts were known to cause chaos and destruction, just nuisances that the town dealt with. I accepted that as fact. In reality? The ghost that attacked didn't just want to cause mischief, it wanted me dead.

Ghosts were supposed to be evil, or at least wanted to cause trouble. Now I wasn't so sure. If that was true, why did Phantom save my life? He had defended me, protected me. He had been brave, heroic, cute . . . I have to stop thinking like that! Phantom was dead. With that thought, I drifted off to asleep.

The next couple of days I spent most of my time researching ghosts. Ironically, most of the best information came from that book my parents gave me. I looked up ghosts in general, what they were and what they were made of. The book gave me some good information on the history of ghost attacks. I tried to look for any sign of Phantom. I had hoped to find something about him, or even an obituary matching his description. Nothing. Any information about him I would have to get directly from the source.

Another thing I looked up was Inviso-Bill. I figured if I knew more about him, Phantom would make more sense, since they both saved people. Aside from learning about how much everyone used to hate him, I was still clueless.

By the time Monday rolled around, I was still in the middle of ghost research. I had just moved on to ghost weapons and my locker was now filled with several articles. I had decided not to tell Danny and Tucker. They would probably misunderstand and send a ghost hunter after him.

I didn't count on how observant Danny was.

Danny and Tucker were walking me to my locker, chatting about a new videogame that I had owned for two years, but had just come out. I had just opened my locker when some of the articles on ghost weaponry fell out.

Danny immediately reached down to help pick them up, but frowned when he saw the tile.

"How to Kill the Dead?" He asked curiously. "Are you planning on fighting ghosts?"

"No!" I snapped at him, and then immediately regretted it as he shied off. I felt like I had just beaten a puppy and winced. "I mean, of course not, it's just a bit of light reading, for fun." I tried to laugh it off but Danny didn't seem to believe me.

I just hoped that he wouldn't jump to any conclusions.

* * *

**Danny **

All I could thing about was how much I wished I had my memories back. I wanted to be able to have memories to look back on; I wanted to have a relationship with my parents. I wanted a life!

I wish I could remember something! Even if I could only have a little more experience with people my own age! How should I act? I hate just being so absolutely clueless! Why couldn't my life be simpler?

I went to talk to Jazz about what I had seen in Sam's locker. Looking back, I think it was a bad idea. Jazz has a tendency to overreact.

"She was reading what?" Jazz screeched after I told her. "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" I snapped back. "I saved her life! Maybe she is just trying to make sure she can defend herself next time a ghost attacks her!"

"You don't understand!" Jazz moaned in exasperation. "The last time a girl did this she ended up _**hunting**_ you! You still tried to be her friend, even boyfriend once, and it never worked out! From now on, you need to stay away from Sam!"

"You have no proof!" I hated when she talked about me like I was an entirely different person 15 years ago. It didn't matter if I lost memory, I'm still me. "If you can prove that she's a ghost hunter, I will!"

I knew I wouldn't keep that promise, I liked Sam too much, but I needed to appease Jazz.

"Fine, invite Sam and Tucker over to your house tomorrow. Confront Sam about ghost hunting." Jazz gave me a long, calculating glare before replying. Her voice was cold and challenging.

I smiled at that, Jazz had told me before that I couldn't have friends over in case they found out who I was related to. Jazz must have mistaken my smile.

"Before you get too sure of yourself, know this. I _**will**_ be listening in on the conversation and I _**will**_ be the judge of whether or not she's lying."

* * *

PLOT TWIST!!! Jazz thinks Sam is a ghost hunter! Poor Danny!

I have decided to do a sequel. I have written all of this story and only need to type it up and have it revised. The last chapter will be 11. The sequel is outlined and ready to be written as soon as I get in the mood, all the plot holes are fixed. It will be in 3rd person unless you object violently.

By the by, it turns out that I get more reviews if I insult you. So, WHIMPS, SLACKERS!!! Joking, don't hurt me! Updates Tuesday!

-Gryph


	8. Chapter 8

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 1/9/07

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**CHAPTER 8: I DON'T UNDERSTAND  
**

* * *

**Jazz**

I don't understand why Sam would become a ghost hunter. Nevertheless, I was sure it was true.

It was exactly the same thing that had happened with Valerie.

Danny and Valerie had been friends for a while, and it started to grow into something more. Then there was a ghost incident at the lab her father worked at. I made Danny break up with her for his own protection. I would do the same with Sam.

I was going to watch her carefully, and go through her backpack for weapons. I left school early on the day she was coming over just to prepare.

By the time Danny, Sam, and Tucker walked through the door, the entire house was rigged with cameras.

after placing their backpacks by the door, they walked up to Danny's room. I immediately gave Sam's a quick search. I saw plenty of articles on ghosts, but no weapons. I went back to the cameras again, coming into the middle of the conversation.

"Dude, there is no way that an upgrade cube can give you that power!" Tucker commented as his fingers flew over the buttons of his controller.

"Tell me about it! How did Chaos get all that attack strength?" Danny added from where he was perched on his bed, watching Tucker kill off weak players. Sam stood off in a corner looking through Danny's bookcase.

"You must really like Space." She flipped through a book before looking up at Danny. "How come you never told us?"

"I used to be really into it." Danny shrugged. "But I don't like it as much anymore."

The room settled into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, with only the noise of the video game. Then Danny glanced up at the camera and gave me a nod. He was going to ask her now.

* * *

****

**Sam  
**

I don't understand why he asked me that. It came out of nowhere. I was stunned.

"Sam, are you a ghost hunter?" Danny asked bluntly.

I dropped the book I was looking at; even Tucker quit his game to stare at Danny. Danny avoided our eyes and gazed at the ceiling with intense interest. "I see the articles you keep reading. It's not like you couldn't get the training or equipment."

"What?" It took me a while to get over my shock. I was hoping that he wouldn't jump to conclusions! How was I going to get out of this without mentioning Phantom? "No, I told you, it was just for a project!"

Danny finally met my gaze. I could tell that he didn't believe me.

"Look, I have plenty of secrets, but ghost hunting isn't one of them." I didn't want to do this, but I needed a distraction to make him forget about ghost hunting and Phantom. This should give him enough of a shock. "I should probably have told you this awhile ago. I'm rich."

"You? Rich? Give me a break!" Tucker burst out laughing. Danny remained quiet.

"No, really." I was getting annoyed now. "You know that large mansion at the edge of town? I live there."

Tucker stopped laughing and gaped at me. This was starting to get fun. I decided I might as well see how far his jaw could drop.

"Another thing," I gave a predatory grin. "I'm Chaos."

"Oh my goodness." Tucker's jaw hit the floor. "Our friend is one of the richest people in the state, and one of the best video game players ever! Danny, isn't that awesome? . . . Danny?"

We both looked at Danny who was oddly silent. He was staring at the ceiling again, looking like he was having an internal debate. Finally, he sighed.

"Friends tell each other secrets, right?" He didn't seem to expect and answer. "I guess it's only fair that I tell you mine."

I wondered how big his were going to be. Probably nothing compared to mine.

"You remember how I said I lived with my guardian?"

* * *

**Danny **

I don't understand why I told them my secret. I guess it just felt like the right thing to do.

"My cousin is Jazz Fenton." They reacted worse than I would have thought. I started to get uncomfortable under the intense stares of my friends. Tucker broke the silence.

"My best friends," He said slowly. "Just happen to be the heirs to million dollar companies." He had on a look of pure bliss. "Dude, I love my life."

"That's not possible!" Sam finally spoke up. "I've seen Jazz, and she lives . . ." She paused in mid-sentence as it dawned on her.

"Right next door." I finished.

At this point they were stunned and absorbed in their own thoughts. Absently, they said goodbye and wandered out the door.

I felt like a hypocrite. There I was telling Sam to spill her secrets and I couldn't even tell her mine. Then again, if that was their reaction to me being rich, how would they take it if I told them I was half dead?

Jazz came in shortly after they left and gave me the expected lecture about not telling my friends that I was related to her. She didn't seem really into it though and didn't punish me. I decided to cut to the chase.

"What have you decided about Sam?" I interrupted her. Jazz sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I don't think she's a ghost hunter yet." I knew how painful it must have been for her to admit that. She hated being wrong about anything. "But please try to be careful anyway."

I agreed with her and she left to go make dinner. I absently picked up a baseball and started bouncing it off the wall. I wanted to ask Jazz if I could tell my friends about my being Phantom, but now was not the time.

* * *

I appologize for what I said last week. That was rude and I had no right to do it. I'm sorry.

I got inspired over the weekend! I am writing another series, but since the main character is an OC, I don't know if I should post it. He is not a Gary Stu and he doesn't hook up with any of the people at Casper High. I will have a sample summary posted in my profile, tell me if you want it to be posted.

Updates Tuesday. The other series (Mentor) will update on Saturday if you like the idea.

-Gryph


	9. Chapter 9

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 1/16/07

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**CHAPTER 9: THE GHOST ATTACK  
**

* * *

**Jazz**

The ghost attack was all over the news. 'The Invasion Has Begun!' 'Ghosts Now Threaten Lives!' 'Five People Left In Critical Condition!'

While the attack on Sam had been covered up, no one could hide a ghost holding a whole building hostage. The ghost sent three people into a coma, two people got gas poisoning, and of the other seventeen, twelve had to remain hospitalized for a day.

This was the first time anyone had ever been seriously hurt by a ghost attack. Most of the damage had been to property, and the worst injury was a sprained ankle that a woman had received while running away from one of Pariah's minions.

Needless to say, the panic in the city increased dramatically. A curfew was imposed upon the city and citizens were encouraged to stay inside when possible. The people turned to me and my parents for advice. Specter Deflectors were sold by the hundreds and my parents were desperately trying to come up with better weapons to fight these new threats. The only reason that there wasn't a death this time was because of Danny.

He had managed to get there shortly after the start of the attack. Luckily, the ghost liked to monologue and hadn't done too much damage before Phantom arrived on the scene.

He was quick. Phantom went in, beat up the ghost, captured him in the Thermos, and got out before anyone could get a good look at him.

The media was debating whether the people had been rescued by a new ghost hunter, or a rival ghost. Most people's money was on the ghost hunter, but the tabloids were raving about the next Inviso-Bill.

If only they knew how close they were!

* * *

**Sam **

The ghost attack came suddenly, without any warning.

I had been touring Axion Labs with my parents when it happened. They were trying to make social connections to the head of the facility. My parents are sickeningly sweet at the best of times, but when they were using all their charm and it was unbearable.

We were on a balcony overlooking the main lab room. After explaining a bit about the room, the guide led my parents down the stairs to the main floor. I hung back, glaring over the railing at the two people who continually ruined my life.

The next thing I knew, the lower floor of the lab was covered in a blanket of fog.

Scared, I ducked behind the railing of the balcony and peaked over to see a ghost in a clean suit flying around over the fog. I was high enough to avoid the mist since I had stayed on the second story.

"Run you imbeciles, run!" The ghost screamed in a high pitched, nasal voice. "Run in circles like headless chickens!"

I made sure to keep out of sight as I carefully examined the ghost. It was wearing a white protective suit with the Axion Labs logo, like we had seen earlier on the tour. Below his waist, the suit dissolved into a mist and the overall appearance reminded me of a genie. He had on a gas mask that had a tube connecting to an air purifier on his back, where there were also two large gas canisters.

"That's right, panic!" The thing screeched maniacally as there were sounds of people stumbling blindly below him. "Fools! Murderers!"

He whisked away the fog with a flick of his hand so that the people below could get a good look at the ghost. There were several gasps and many of the employees reached for their cell phones.

"Not so fast!" the ghost shouted. "There is no escape for you! You will all suffer my fate!"

He then pointed at an unfortunate man who happened to have his phone open. A leak in one of the gas canisters let a small wisp of a purple vapor snake out in the direction of the ghost's outstretched finger and wrap itself loosely around the man's head.

He immediately collapsed into a fit of coughing.

"Anyone else want to try to call for help?" The thing sneered. Everyone immediately froze before setting their phones slowly on the ground.

"That's much better." The ghost nodded approvingly. "Now, murderers, Miasma will let you live for a little while longer, to prolong your suffering!"

I ducked behind the wall and sank to the floor, my head spinning. The ghost didn't know I was there; I had a chance to help. Slowly, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Danny's number.

As soon as the phone was picked up, I started talking, not letting him even have a chance to say 'hello.'

"Danny, this is Sam. Look, I'm at Axion Labs. There's a ghost here. He said he's going to kill everyone. Get Jazz. Hurry." I whispered urgently before hanging up. I slumped to the ground and silently prayed that help would arrive in time.

The ghost's ranting had covered up the small noise that my phone call had made, and all that I could do was listen to it.

" . . . And after all of my contributions to Axion, what do they give me? A leaky gas tank in an airtight room! I pounded at the door for as long as I could before I died! You will all pay for killing me!"

I peered over the wall to find the ghost laughing as the people below choked in a violet haze. The man who had been the first target wasn't moving. Help couldn't come soon enough.

"Miasma will make sure you pay! Die! Die! Die!" The ghosts laughter stopped abruptly as he was hit by an ectoblast.

It was Phantom!

Miasma righted himself before considering his opponent. "Why do you think you are? No one can stop me!" The ghost cackled before dissolving into vapor.

Phantom seemed unfazed as Miasma slowly wrapped himself around him.

"Choke! Suffer! Die!"

Phantom just cocked an eyebrow. The gas flew away from him and reformed itself.

"What! Why won't you die?" Miasma screamed in fury.

"I thought that would be obvious." Phantom retorted hotly. "Unless of course . . ." He grinned before flying at his opponent.

Miasma had no time to respond as his air hose was ripped out. Phantom then threw the surprised ghost into his own poisonous haze.

"Unless you need to breathe also."

The ghost floated in the gas cloud, choking. For once, he didn't seem to have anything to say.

Phantom took the Thermos from his back and captured Miasma. In the process, all the toxic fumes were sucked up as well.

He glanced around at all the people on the floor and left before I was able to come out of hiding and talk to him.

I gingerly picked my way down the stairs to find my parents. They were still coughing occasionally, but appeared to be okay. They were doing a lot better than some of the others.

I only let myself be relieved when I heard the sound of sirens.

* * *

**Danny  
**

The ghost attack wasn't that bad, in fact it was almost helpful.

After I got the call, I yelled the information at Jazz as I transformed and rushed toward Axion Labs.

The fight was really odd in my opinion. I may not be an expert on ghosts, but even I knew that the attack wouldn't work. Have you ever heard of a ghost that needed to breathe?

Apparently, Miasma needed air so it was easy enough to defeat him with his own poison.

At the end of the battle, I glanced around to try and find Sam. I was glad she wasn't there; I didn't want her getting hurt.

Satisfied that I had done my job, I went back home to my interrupted training session. Over the next week, I realized what the attack had done for me.

I was more confident. I didn't just try to sit in the back of the room being invisible anymore. I was actively involved in class; I didn't feel ashamed of knowing answers.

Around Sam and Tucker, I felt more comfortable expressing my opinions. I made more contributions to our conversations, and even laughed at some of Tucker's jokes.

Now if only I had the confidence to stand up to Jazz and tell them my secret.

* * *

Okay. More action this time, but it is mainly relationships after this. Remember that after Chapter 11, TWISI will be updated under another story.

I have decided to post Mentor. The problem is that I realized how lame the first chapter sounded so I'll have to rewrite it. Which is sad, since I had already written the first 5 chapters. Expect it to air next Saturday.

_This_ story will update next Tuesday.

-Gryph


	10. Chapter 10

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 1/23/07

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**CHAPTER 10: I LISTENED**

* * *

**Jazz**

I listened to her problems with rapt attention. It was my job. Sam had walked into my office only moments before, asking to talk with me. Now she couldn't speak.

"Okay. I don't really know how to say this." I had never seen Sam so uncomfortable. Usually she found it easy to say what she thought. I had to stifle a giggle as the goth fumbled for words.

"Just speak your mind." I advised her. "I'm just here to listen."

"Alright." She took a deep breath. "I know something that no one else knows. I'm afraid that if I ever tell anyone, they will overreact and ruin everything. At the same time, if I don't tell someone, I think that I'll burst!"

"You could tell me." I suggested. "I'm sworn to secrecy. Even Danny won't hear about it."

"No!" Sam shouted. She then blushed furiously and apologized. "Sorry. I just prefer it if you didn't know. I came here to figure out if I should tell Danny."

I had two guesses about what her secret was. Either she liked Danny as more than a friend, or it was about a ghost. Both were things Danny needed to know about

"Tell him." She didn't seem to like that answer. "Danny is very understanding, and he can keep a secret."

Sam didn't look convinced.

"Last time I did something, he overreacted." She countered. "He accused me of being a ghost hunter."

I winced.

"Actually, that was my fault." I had to avoid her accusing gaze. "He told me about the articles in your locker and I jumped to conclusions."

"Does he tell you everything?"

"Only if he feels it's important. If you told him to keep it a secret, I'd never even know about it."

Sam's mind seemed to be elsewhere as she nodded absently, got up, and left.

* * *

**Sam **

I listened to her confessions in stunned silence. Danny wasn't the cause of the accusation? If what she said was true, and Danny could keep secrets, then I could tell him about Phantom.

I left Jazz's office wordlessly.

Ever since the attack at the lab, I had been bursting to tell someone, **_anyone_**, about Phantom. Guilt had been gnawing at me to tell my friends, Danny and Tucker, but I thought that Danny would overreact and tell Jazz.

I called Danny and Tucker over to my house. By the time they got there, I had worn a path in the plush carpet with pacing.

"Dude, I just died and entered heaven." Tucker sighed as he entered my basement. His eyes were glued to the giant TV and the excessive sound system.

Oddly enough, Danny seemed completely comfortable and didn't even glance. He just made his way purposefully to the couch and plopped down on it. It was if he knew the layout of the room by heart.

I brushed that weird thought to the back of my mind and focused on what I had to do.

"Guys, I have to tell you something." I started.

"Yeah! Could you buy a yacht?" Tucker interrupted. He had moved on to drooling over my snack bar.

"Guys, this is serious!" I shouted in frustration. Both of their heads snapped toward me, startled by me outburst.

I took a deep breath to regain my composure.

"I called you because I have something important to that I've been keeping from you." I noticed that I now had the complete attention of both boys. "Do you remember last Friday, when we went to the movies? Something happened while I was walking home . . ."

As I launched into the story I kept my eyes fixed on the ground, fearful of what their reactions would be.

"You know that attack that was in the papers? I was there too. I was on the floor above it, hiding behind the railing, and saw the whole thing. Phantom was the one that beat the ghost. He came in and. . ." I finished off my narrative in a rush before cautiously glancing up at my audience.

Tucker looked ecstatic, which was a good sign.

Danny seemed to have gone into a state of shock. I realized that he might get the wrong impression. If he was affected enough, he might still tell Jazz . . .

"Please don't tell anyone!" I urged, looking directly at Danny. "He's good, he really is! If a ghost hunter finds out, they might hurt him!"

Tucker nodded mutely while Danny's expression remained the same: emotionless and shocked.

"Please, Danny" I begged. "Please don't tell Jazz . . ."

The next thing I knew, I was swept up in Danny's hug.

* * *

**Danny **

I listened to Sam's story with interest. Putting on a surprised face, I readied myself to act like I had never heard of this before.

Then the impact of what she said hit me.

I hadn't realized that she had been in the middle of the last attack. All the emotions from the first time she was in danger flooded back: worry, fear, shock, anger. She could have gotten hurt.

She could have died.

The look of pleading on her face only served to solidify my feeling of protectiveness. I wanted to comfort her, to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. That I was going to protect her.

'Comforting is Fenton's Job'

I swept her up in a hug and swore to myself that I would never let her get hurt again. I never wanted to let go.

"Danny?" Sam managed to squeak through her surprise. I let go of her reluctantly and looked her in the eyes.

"I can't believe you went through that! We're your friends, we're here for you." I shook her to make sure she got the message. "We are her to support you when stuff like this happens, why didn't you tell us?"

"So, you won't tell Jazz?" She asked shakily, stunned by my actions.

"Of course not!" Sam immediately looked relieved.

I **_was_** going to tell Jazz, but Sam didn't need to know that. I told her what she wanted to hear. Plus, I knew Jazz wouldn't be hunting that particular ghost.

There was a long pause before Sam spoke up.

"Um, Danny? You can let go of me now."

I felt my face heat up as I realized that I was still holding on to her shoulders. I quickly let go and laughed awkwardly with her.

"So, anyone up for bowling?"

I joined Sam in the bowling alley, barely hearing Tucker's comment as we left.

"Lovebirds." He chuckled.

* * *

We always knew that Sam needed therapy. Guess what? She gets more next week too.  
I let my characters get out of control in this chapter. One minute I sit down to write a touching scene where Danny becomes more determined to protect Sam, and the next he's hugging her. I seriously didn't intend to write that. The characters just did it by themselves. 

I lost my enthusiam for Mentor, so I might postpone it till next Satuday. If you review, however, I might be able to make it. ; )  
TWISI will update on Tuesday for the last time before the sequel is posted. Please Review.

-Gryph


	11. Chapter 11

DANNY PHANTOM: THE WAY I SEE IT

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 1/30/07

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

* * *

**CHAPTER 11: SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT**

* * *

**Jazz**

Something wasn't right about the way Sam slumped into my office. Last time she had been on edge about telling Danny about Phantom. This time she looked almost embarrassed.

"Hey, Sam." I gave her my best reassuring smile. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

I was glad that her secrecy over the past week was because she was worried about Phantom, not because she wanted to hunt him. Danny had so few friends; it would be hard on him if I forced him to part with one.

"Yeah." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and nervously rubbed her arm. "You really need to keep this secret though. I want your word."

"I promise you that not a word of this conversation will leave this room." Darn. That meant that I couldn't tell Danny.

"Well, it's about boys . . ." Sam began awkwardly.

Or maybe it would be better if Danny remained clueless.

"I've never really been into boys." She explained. "I thought all of the competition and hype was stupid. I didn't want to be someone's status symbol."

I nodded. That fitted well with what I knew of her.

"But lately . . ." She trailed off, looking at me hopelessly.

"How many?" I could see where she was going with this.

"Two." Sam moaned miserably. " And one of them is strictly off-limits. The other one, I just want as a friend."

"Danny." It wasn't a question. She winced, but nodded.

"I just want to know why I've fallen for every guy I've met, who has even a spark of originality, within the past few months." Sam was fuming, angry at her own hormones for betraying her.

"How do you feel about your parents?" I already had a good idea about what was going on. The only thing that was bugging me what the identity of the other guy.

"I hate them." Sam growled. "And they hate me. They think I should conform to their perfectly manicured standards."

"That's the problem." I stated. "You're looking for acceptance. Your parents aren't providing it, so your subconscious thinks that maybe boys can."

Sam gave her best death glare to the carpet, scowling.

* * *

**Sam **

Something wasn't right with me, that was the why I slipped into Jazz's office after school. She would know what the problem was.

That didn't mean I had to like it.

I glared daggers at he floor, putting on a scowl that stopped other goths at ten paces. I didn't approve of her answer one bit.

"Is there anything I can do about this?" I managed to get out through my clenched teeth.

"Several things." Jazz looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "First, you could get therapy, or some other form of psychological support."

I growled. Just what I needed, more reasons for my parents to ship me off to a private school.

"You could reconcile yourself with your parents, though I doubt you would do that."

My glare shifted up to her momentarily before going back to the floor.

"Or you could just be really attracted to one of the people in question and just ask Danny out."

I fell out of my chair.

"WHAT?" My scream was loud enough to be heard from the other side of the school, but I didn't care. "You want me to what?"

"It was just a suggestion." Jazz tried to calm me down. "You could just ignore it."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. All of my energy was drained out of me.

"Do you want to come over to my house?" Jazz asked politely. "We could discuss this more, plus tonight is vegetarian lasagna."

"You want me to talk to Danny." My accusation hit its mark. Jazz nodded sheepishly.

"All right, but only for the lasagna." I joked. It would probably just feel good to talk to a friend. There was no way I would talk to Danny about this, however.

After a short drive, we arrived at the house. Jazz immediately went into the kitchen, donning an apron.

"Could you check on Danny for me? I need to work on dinner."

I nodded before walking slowly up the staircase, heart pounding. As much as I needed to talk to him, what if I let something slip?

I was spared having to worry about that, thankfully, when I entered Danny's empty room. Frowning slightly, I glanced at the bathroom; there was no one in it.

"Hey Jazz?" I yelled over the banister. "He's not upstairs."

"Mmmm. He might be in the basement." I heard her open a door. "Danny?"

There was a pause.

"He's not down here. Check his room again."

I check the room, nothing.

"That's weird." I commented as I went into the kitchen. "It's almost like he disappeared."

A plate fell from Jazz's trembling hands and shattered on the tile floor.

* * *

**Danny **

Something wasn't right.

I set my backpack down inside the empty house and cautiously made my way up the stairs toward my room, ready to act quickly in case anything happened.

I had learned to trust my instincts. Right then, they were screaming at me that I wasn't alone in the house.

I opened the door to my room in one, swift motion, ensuring I would have the element of surprise.

"We need to talk."

I froze, unsure of how to react to this figure. So much for the element of surprise.

"Come with me." The voice resonated with power and self-assurance. I didn't want to mess with this person.

Still, I remained motionless.

The figure growled impatiently.

"We need to talk." It repeated, annoyed. "This is not the place for it."

I nodded dumbly and followed the figure.

Jazz would come back to an empty house.

* * *

Don't you just love the cliffhanger? This is the last chapter for TWISI, the next one will be posted under a different name.

UPDATE: The sequel is now under the title of "This Time Around". It is in process, and will be finished eventually. I apologize for implying otherwise (for those who say this author's note pre-update). For those of you have not added the sequel to your alert or favorite list, now would be the time to do so since it has been going on for quite a while.

-Gryph


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